Lonely Hearts Club
by Queen Abaddon
Summary: Whilst journeying back to Camp Half-Blood on the Argo II, kindred souls find sanctuary in each other. Written pre-House of Hades, so no spoilers. Nominated for the Phoenix Awards Round Ten: Best Oneshot.


**A/N:** I wrote this ages ago and never got around to posting it. It's Leo/Calypso, but I wrote it way before HoH so no worries for spoilers. Thanks for reading! Reviews are, of course, greatly welcomed :)

-o-

_"The older I get, the more I realize how rare it is to meet a kindred spirit."  
-Ethan Hawke_

-o-

They find her at sea on their journey home, floating on a raft - _her_ raft. Percy recognizes her immediately and quickly calls a mystified Piper to act as their medic. Annabeth seems to recognize her as well, not looking too pleased, although she tries her best to hide it.

Percy can't help but find it ironic: The goddess they send their heroes to being saved and tended to by demigods.

-o-

It takes her three days to wake up.

Not that Leo's counting. He should be focusing on getting he and his friends home. Now that they're fulfilled the prophecy and saved Percy, Annabeth, and basically the entire world, his main focus should be getting back home to Cabin Nine.

He _should_ be focusing on all that, but something about this girl captivates him.

Maybe it's her long, caramel-colored hair that's intricately braided down and over one shoulder. Maybe it's her soft features and long lashes. Maybe it's the old-fashioned Greek chiton she's wearing, stitched with gold.

Most likely, though, it's the fact that she is twenty-times out of his league.

-o-

When she finally wakes up, it's Annabeth that's in the room with her. The brunette sits up with a start, her brown eyes widening as she glances around the infirmary in confusion.

"Calypso," the blonde says in a clipped tone, and the mentioned girl immediately snaps her head, her mouth dropping in surprise. It's Annabeth's turn to babysit, something she's less than enthusiastic about.

"Annabeth Chase," the youthful looking goddess replies in the same tone, although her cheeks darken ever-so-slightly. At the daughter of Athena's quirked eyebrow, she replies, "The official architect of Olympus, savior of the Mark of Athena, survivor of Tartarus, one of the prophesied seven, _and_ Percy Jackson's girlfriend." Annabeth does not miss the strain in Calypso's voice. "Do you not believe that gossip can reach me, even at my secured island of Ogygia?"

"Of course not." The demigod doesn't miss a beat. She stands up, pressing her lips together in a thin line. "I should tell the others you're awake."

And with that, Annabeth leaves the room, surprised - and made proud - by her self-restraint.

-o-

Calypso's eyes follow the blonde as she exits the room, and she can't help but feel guilty.

Sure, she can't change the past, but maybe mentioning Percy was overstepping some boundaries.

_Percy_.

Just the thought of his name is like rubbing salt on an old wound. It's been years since she's seen him, but compared to her other heroes, the pain in still fresh. She'll have to deal with it, though, seeing as he is most likely on this ship.

Taking a deep the goddess slips out of her bed and standing up, before nearly falling back on to it. She quickly grabs the chair that Annabeth had recently occupied, hanging on for a moment until she is fully balanced.

It's funny, she thinks. For a goddess that spends so much time near water, she doesn't even have her sea legs.

A knock on the door startles her from her thoughts. "Come in," she says, wondering who it could be.

Her heart nearly stops when the figure walks through the door. He even handsomer than when she rescued him.

He's grown, at least two or three inches, and he's leaner, more muscular. His hair's longer, too, sweeping just above his eyebrows. And, gods help her, his _eyes_. Those sea green eyes framed by dark lashes have a new spark in them that wasn't there back in Ogygia.

"Calypso," he breathes, his eyes wide. He gazes at her for a minute and _oh_, the pain.

She's never seen a hero after he left, and she now realizes it is a not a curse, but rather a blessing. The pain that rips through her now is a thousand times worse than any that could be caused physically.

Percy clears his throat, breaking the awkward silence that's manifested between them.

"So, uh, how have you been?"

It's a silly question that he seems to regret the instant the words leave his mouth. Nevertheless, she responds.

"Good, I guess." She hates how soft - how _weak - _her voice is. "I've just been able to leave my island, what with the war against Gaea."

"Well, that's good. That you're not stuck there anymore, I mean."

"Yes, I suppose it is."

Being isolated from her previous patients is definitely a blessing, Calypso decides as another awkward silences falls upon the pair. At least then she can imagine that the heroes haven't moved on quite yet.

-o-

She knows it's wrong, but she can't help but watch him.

It's fascinating to watch as he stands at the bow, talking to _her_. Even back in Ogygia she knew that Percy Jackson's heart could never fully be hers. But watching him interact with Annabeth, his love for her written all over his face, Calypso can't help but wish that look was directed with her on the receiving end.

Sometimes, she wonders what it would have been like if he stayed. It's selfish, she knows, because the world needed Percy Jackson, but she sometimes wishes that it didn't.

But as she watches the survivors - when it comes down to it, that's what they really are - she's forced to face the reality that Percy Jackson's heart was never hers to have.

-o-

The longer she stays on the Argo II, the more she adjusts. She spends her days exploring the deck of the ship, enjoying the sea's breath of fresh air and doing her best to avoid the couples. Although they're very nice people, they bring back too many painful memories that she isn't ready to face - and probably never will be.

Due to the process of elimination, she soon becomes friends with the ship's humorous captain, Leo Valdez. He takes it upon himself to not only update her in pop culture, but his story about the war with Gaea as well. He tells her all about his quest with Jason and Piper, and how they journeyed to Camp Jupiter before darting off to New Rome and how it disastrously ended with Percy and Annabeth falling into Tartarus, before going on to explain how the remaining demigods (plus Nico and their chaperone, Coach Hedge) traveled to Athens, Greece and retrieved the forty-foot statue of Athena and then headed off to locate the House of Hades and save Percy and Annabeth. Her favorite part of the tale is when he explains how that after Jason was injured in battle, it was up to Leo - _the fire_ - to lure Gaea back into her sleeping form. Calypso enjoys hearing his animated (and most likely exaggerated) storytelling.

Some days, he shows her all around the Argo II - or, as he prefers to call it, his 'child'. It fascinates hers that he had the capability to _think up_ all of this. At one point she makes an off-hand comment on how he could improve on the control system and he takes it to heart, modifying it exactly how she suggested. He's done within half an hour, and gives her a toothy grin that might have caused her to blush.

And, she realizes one day, the more time she spends with Leo, the less time she spends dwelling over what ifs.

-o-

Their friendship grows stronger and soon they begin to delve into more personal matters. He tells her about his mother's death and how he feels responsible. After the story, they sit in silence before he asks her about her life before joining the Argo II. She's wary at first, but reminds herself that this is what friends do: They trust each other enough to share the whole truth.

Taking a deep breath she explains, "Before the last war against Kronos, the Fates . . . they would send me someone I couldn't help but love, but someone who could never return the favor. Someone who could never love me enough to stay."

"Falling for someone even though you know it won't work out?" Leo muses, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Sounds painfully familiar."

"Perhaps we should form a club," Calypso suggests with a small smile.

"What was that Beatles' song? _Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band_." He gets a nostalgic look, and Calypso wonders if he's thinking of his life before knowing about his father. "Or just Lonely Hearts Club for short."

"Beetles? I thought those were a kind of insect?"

Leo stares at her for a moment before laughing. "No, no. The Beatles are a pop/rock band from the sixties-the nineteen sixties, that is. Sons of Apollo, I think. My mom used to love them."

"Oh." Calypso pauses for a moment, before asking, "But who is this Sgt. Pepper? Is he a war veteran who was rejected as well?"

She blushes as Leo laughs harder. "Oh gods, Cal, we have some catching up for you to do."

Calypso smiles to herself as he goes off to find his 'iPod' - whatever _that_ is - and thinks that maybe, _just maybe_, she's found someone that will stay.


End file.
